Violet and Jack have returned home from their honeymoon and are back to their old lives. Jack is taking cases again. Violet is writing books with her twin, managing her business interests, and decorating her house.
When their crew of friends gather for a night on the town, they intend to enjoy cocktails, jazz, and maybe a very late dinner. What they don’t expect is one of the band to fall dead while they dance. The celebration comes to a stumbling halt, and the group turns their attention—once again—to why someone would kill a member of the band.
Book ELEVEN in The Violet Carlyle Mysteries. Are you ready for the roaring twenties? For a spunky young woman determined to craft her own life? If so, you’ll love Vi, her indulgent twin Vic, and their friends. You might even find your imagination caught by the detective Jack Wakefield. For fans of Carola Dunn, Jacqueline Winspear, Georgette Heyer, Leighann Dobbs, and Lee Strauss.
A light, cozy mystery with a fun peek into life in the life of a bright young thing. No swearing, graphic scenes, or cliffhangers.
An okay read. A so, so plot but the events in their personal life are very readable. Ham is still fighting against his feelings but is weakening all the while. Martha is up to her spoilt foolish tricks. Underground jazz clubs, conman and drugs are the order of the day. Even when she can see the object of her current obsession as the cruel, heartless man he is. However when he is stabbed and later collapses she tries to cover up not only for herself but the others involved. Will Vi and her chalkboard solve the crime? Plus Rica is fed up with Ham and is planning a trip abroad. Whilst Kate is close to term and feeling like a beached whale. This doesn't put of Denny who suddenly wants a family. How will everything work out and what will be the outcome?
This story was the 11th in the series. It is a comfortable incredibly quick read (120 pages of actual story). It is the perfect story to tell after the nail biting, heart wrenching previous story. Do not take the 3*'s as a disparagement. It's just that some book had to be next. It's not the books fault. I enjoyed it for what it is and glad it gave me time to recoup. Looking forward to the next book.
I have long since proclaimed my love of this series. They are unbelievably rich in England in 1925. They have houses and cars and an entourage of friends. And most of the time the victim is a bad guy. The details are astounding--the dresses, the jewelry, the furnishings. Several of the criticisms have centered around the grammar which apparently my mind corrects automatically most of the time because I rarely find myself puzzling over a sentence. These are a fun read, quick, and the good guy always wins. Jack is honest and law abiding. Violet is generous beyond belief. And the friends and family they surround themselves with are entertaining. Bad people are not among the group. If you are reading these books so you can grumble about grammatical errors--you really need to get a life.
I have always enjoyed these tales of Violet and her many friends. Who are so fun and shinning! They are truly the shining young things, rich ones having fun at the cost of their parents. Except these young things spend third own money, money that was given them but they still build it into more with business smarts. But they do run around allot to places they shouldn't so occasionally they meet with many undesirables & murder. So they must solve it of course, and they do! Great cozies you'll love from book one to book100!!
I really enjoy this series. 1920’s historical cozy mysteries. Charming characters (except for the evil doers), witty 1920’s dialogue, and yes, there is always a murder....but it always gets solved in a most satisfying manner. Not to give anything away, but.... this one got a little tense toward the ending. Each one can be a stand alone. But start at the beginning of the series so you don’t miss any of the delightful backstory and just enjoy them. There are no cliffhanging endings...yay!
It's been a while since I popped in to a Violet Carlyle mystery. This book was everything I remember the series to be, a perfect cozy mystery. Nothing too gory is described. The characters are all like able . Although I was a tad lost as the author didn't provide any brief re-introductions to who was who. I remember all the main characters but had a hard time remembering who Rita was and how she came into the group. Honestly, I still can't remember but I just read through. Anyways, this book was a great, light read.
How did we get to book 11 already? Somehow victor and violet went from annoying young snots tripping into mysteries into good hearted people I adore. Character growth is hard in series, too many authors don't let them grow and change. Honestly the mysteries are, for me, quite secondary to following the Downton Abbey of terror twins. :) Very enjoyable and I love curling up with one after a rough day.
This was a slightly different story about the foolishness of entitled girls who think they are women. Their choice in men is abysmal and they keep making the same mistakes over and over. They listen to the charm and the words, instead of paying attention to the actions and the way they treat others. Then someone gets stabbed and dies. Ancient story, new plot. I definitely recommend this book.
Violet and Jack are back from their honeymoon and plan a night out with their friends. Lila 's silly sister Martha is involved with shady people and involves everyone in her mess. Murder occurs and Violet and crew become involved in proving Martha innocent of the deed! Success, again!!
while i am aware that people are stupid and don’t just stay quiet when they should, i am tired of this as a solution. there were some clues. it narrowed things down. but there must have been a why to straight up solve the murder. PIs breaking the law and stupid people are no way to solve a mystery.
This was my first time reading this author so I am not sure how I feel about her style. The story was real enough but it lacked something I can't put my finger on. Maybe if I read some of the previous books and had more background on the characters....which is one reason for the 3star rating.
Nothing special and one of my least favorite of this series. I feel like the characters are getting flippant, at least with their dialogue. This one was dealing with a spoiled younger sister who has been making terrible choices and I thought they were all pretty awful to her. Yes, I agree the younger sister was acting terrible but they were not as kind and helpful as they usually are.
I chose this rating mainly because I really enjoy the way the Beth Byers writes. She brings the lives of the pampered aristocrats of England to life and throws in some murder, romance and mayhem. Lady Violet yet solves another murder by sheer tenacity with the help of her friends to the sneer surprise of Inspector Clarkson.
It is a clever murder mystery but equally appealing is the vivid description of the time period. The characters are aware of the constraints of gender and class and discuss them in detail. The murder is set in a clandestine night club with a diverse range of suspects. A great read.
A little bit of love, a little bit of fun and a little bit of investigating keeps Violet busy in this installment of the series. Aided by her friends, Violet's process of investigation gets some refining. Life also gets a bit more complicated as the birth of Kate's baby draws near. This series is good, clean fun and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next!
An adorable episode as Vi and Jack begin their newly married life together with all of their entourage, plus some, and a new mystery to solve of course! A page turner!
I love the characters, such characters! The core group surrounding Lady Violet are wonderfully described, right down to Denny’s love of chocolate and his shifting waist-line struggles. Fabulous characters!
All the books in the series have enjoyable story lines and engaging characters but for the American spellings, grammar and terminology in what is supposed to be a period English setting. It's very irritating but if you can put this aside they're not a bad read.
I was a bit surprised and put off by how caustic Vi has become in this one. I feel she's called various people idiots and stupid to their faces almost a dozen times. It seemed out of character. Appreciate the twin dynamic. Good pacing.
The gang gets involved with a murder while slumming at a rolling tango club. Funny how long the underground club scene has been popular. Lila’s sister Martha is an idiot.